The invention relates to an irradiation device provided with a base which is hinged to a support and a housing by means of an arm, which housing has a radiation emission plane and comprises two units with radiation sources, each unit being connected to said support with hinging possibility about an axis transverse to the radiation emission plane and being placeable in certain positions relative to the support. Such an irradiation device is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,284.
The known irradiation device is used for irradiating the human body with ultraviolet radiation. The housing is provided with units in which radiation sources, such as high-pressure lamps, with reflectors arranged behind them are accommodated. The radiation leaves the housing through the radiation emission plane (in front of which a filter may or may not have been placed). In the operational state of the device, the two units of the housing can be easily hinged away from one another by a user and placed in positions relative to the support such that irradiation of the body over a considerable length is possible. The device can be folded together into a compact unit and stored in a simple manner after use. It was found that the intensity of the suntanning effect was susceptible of improvement especially at the sides of the body when a person lying on a bed is irradiated with the known device.